By Bhogtoram Mawroh
Last week, H. Srikanth and Airpeace Rani, both members of the Meghalaya Chapter of the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), brought out the findings of their survey on the implementation of the NEP (National Education Policy) in Under-Graduate colleges. The findings were already apparent when the policy was being implemented. An increase in the workload of teachers was making it difficult for them to complete the course and, with it, of course—though not mentioned—mental stress. The survey revealed that government colleges and a few elite ones were able to appoint one or two additional teachers to teach the additional papers. But many continued with the same number of teachers, leading to an increase in workload. Personally, I can understand how stressful that can become.
For a long time, I wanted to become a teacher and make a career in academics. I wanted to be counted as one of the best geographers in the country and become a member of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), a prestigious organization aimed at advancing the understanding, study, and importance of geography and related fields. The organization also had a journal which produced many seminal papers written by eminent geographers of the time. The dream was to get published in it at least once in my own lifetime and as a first author.
Those in academia know that most of the time PhD supervisors are given second authorship even though they may have nothing to do with the paper, for the simple reason that the students worked under them. The situation is worse in the physical sciences, where students have to work in the laboratory of a professor who demands credit even when it is not due. Then there are the worst of the worst: those who just claim others’ work as their own. So, whenever I see some scholar whose work seems interesting, I always go and look up their CV to find out their publications. Many a time, the publication list is very sparse, or even if they have a few, a little digging and one realizes that those are rubbish publications in journals that are not of high quality. And even if there are some good papers, unless they are the first author, it is clear that they have just been added for formality, especially if the first author is their student.
But then every now and then one finds people who deeply care about the work they do. This usually happens when scholars from around the country and outside come together to share their work. Then there are workshops where experts in the field share their work, full of interesting facts and perspectives that open the possibility of what kind of work can happen within the discipline. Movies like A Beautiful Mind, where Russell Crowe portrays a disturbed genius, John Nash, who found solace in going back to teaching while still struggling with schizophrenia, were also quite inspirational. And then there are books written by stalwarts in the field that not only change the discipline but also change the language spoken by people in everyday life without the common public realizing it. So, despite all the problems that exist in academia, there are also those who give hope that academia can make a difference. At least that’s what I thought when I decided that I wanted to become a teacher.
My first ever job was teaching 10+2 students in a local college where my salary was just around 2,000 rupees per month. Even in those days, the amount was meagre. But the syllabus was light, and I did not have many classes, so I had no issues. Then I joined my PhD and was also appointed as a guest lecturer, which involved taking a maximum of a couple of classes a day. I soon realized that the materials I had were not enough to teach the course, even though I had studied the same papers during my postgraduate days. I frantically started searching for materials and found some good books which helped me prepare, but the process was extremely stressful. I would prepare for my classes during breaks and even back in the hostel where I was staying. Before long, I immediately understood that if I had to do justice, I would have to read a lot and prepare extensive reading materials for the students. All in all, teaching the postgraduate course was a good experience, and I was looking forward to doing it again someday.
I wanted to do my post-doc but needed something in between until my application got through. At that moment, I was under serious financial stress and wanted to get a job no matter the remuneration. I saw an application for a teaching position in Arunachal Pradesh and decided to apply. I cleared the interview, and not long after, I arrived at the college carrying my trunk full of books, excited but also relieved. The principal put me up in an empty classroom near the girls’ bathroom because the accommodation was not ready. I was not happy, but I decided to straightaway focus on my lessons.
This time around, I was teaching 10+2 as well as undergraduates, so my workload increased. I was working all the time, during school hours and even after. In the evening, when the principal, a Catholic priest, would be doing his rounds, I would still be working on preparing my lessons in the dark since constant blackouts were a common occurrence in the area. Internet connectivity was also weak, and I was finding it difficult to search for materials for my lessons. I had the books, but they were not enough for what I wanted to teach the students. Not very far from the college was a natural pool where the teachers would go for a swim during free hours. I would join them, but I would be thinking about the lessons the whole time. This went on for a few months. While the principal liked my work, I was under a tremendous amount of stress, constantly worried that I was not getting enough time to prepare for the classes. Finally, I parted ways with the college and came back home. This was almost ten years ago. That experience taught me that teaching, when stretched beyond reasonable limits, becomes unsustainable. I wanted to be a teacher, but I just couldn’t handle the stress of taking too many classes that left me with no time for anything else.
In time, I would have been asked to shoulder additional administrative responsibilities, which would have made it worse. And the constant fear of failing my students made me feel even guiltier. I am not claiming that those who continued teaching are not sincere, but the stress of taking too many classes and additional responsibilities is a very real problem. So, when I read the report by AISEC, it immediately brought back memories of my own struggles as a teacher. Some parents might not sympathize with the plight of teachers, claiming that teachers are not supposed to complain about doing their job, despite the fact that many teachers are temporary and their pay is very low. The same parents will regularly complain about their own stressful working environment and insufficient pay.
It is against this background that the rollout of the NEP, in the words of Rajya Sabha MP Wanwei Roy Kharlukhi, appears “hasty and unplanned” resulting in overburdened colleges and students alike. According to him, colleges are suffering from acute fund shortages, lacking new laboratories, classrooms, libraries, digital infrastructure, and additional faculty required for interdisciplinary subjects. The last part is very crucial because it has enormously increased the burden on teachers, which has made it difficult for them to fulfil their duty. And when teachers are demotivated, it doesn’t take long for the lessons to also suffer, which ultimately harms the students. There will be some who will “batai stad” and explain how teachers are just lazy. In my experience, such people are like the charlatans I have described above from my university days. So, I wouldn’t trust them.
Teachers are an important pillar of the education system. But first of all, they are human beings who deserve a decent life where they can do their best for their students and their family. It is possible that such a balance can be achieved. Increasing their workload, however, is going to destroy any chance of that. We must therefore listen to AISEC and to W. Kharlukhi and find a just solution to the education problems in our state.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)
